August 2021 New Releases

August 3rd
A Dragonbird in the Fern by Laura Reuckert (Flux Books) - delayed due to COVID-19.
When an assassin kills Princess Jiara's older sister Scilla, her vengeful ghost is doomed to walk their city of glittering canals, tormenting loved ones until the killer is brought to justice. The mourning period hasn't even reached its end when Scilla's betrothed, the king of a country far away, requests that seventeen-year-old Jiara take her sister's place as his bride.

Marrying the man meant for her sister would make her feel bad enough, but with a learning disability and years of scholarly struggles, Jiara believes her chances of learning a new language are slim. She's terrified of life in a foreign land, where she'd be unable to communicate. Then Jiara discovers evidence that her sister's assassin came from the king's country. Marrying the king would allow Jiara to hunt the murderer and release her family from Scilla's spirit, whose thirst for blood mounts every day.

With magical bracelets on her forearms and a dagger strapped to her calf (neither of which she knows how to use), she makes her way to the lush, fern-covered country of her sister's assassin. But Jiara hasn't even reached her new home when the first attempt is made on her life. To save her family, Jiara must find Scilla's killer...before he murders her too.

Dangerous Play by Emma Kress (Roaring Brook Press) 
Mekisha Telfer at Roaring Brook has bought Vermont College of Fine Arts MFA candidate Emma Kress's debut contemporary YA novel, Dangerous Play, in the vein of Moxie and Sadie. In the novel, a girls' field hockey team uncovers rape culture at their school and channels their anger into vigilante justice after one of their captains is sexually assaulted. Publication is planned for spring 2021; Roseanne Wells at the Jennifer De Chiara Literary Agency brokered the deal for North American rights.

August 17th
The Endless Skies by Shannon Price (Tor Teen) 
A breakout standalone epic fantasy about shapeshifting warriors perfect for fans of Adrienne Young and Wonder Woman.

Sixteen-year-old Rowan is about to become one of the famed Leonodai Warriors--the elite magical fighters who protect the floating city Heliana from the world of Men. Until disaster strikes the city's children.

Against orders from the king, Rowan sets out on her own and tracks down one of the Warrior teams--only to find herself face to face with both the man she loves and the one who holds the dark secrets of their past. With time running out and Men on their tail, Rowan must risk everything to save her beloved city.

Me (Moth) by Amber McBride (Fiewel and Friends) 
Liz Szabla at Feiwel and Friends has acquired, in a two-book deal, Me (Moth), a YA novel in verse, and an untitled YA novel by debut author Amber McBride. Me (Moth) features Moth, the granddaughter of a Hoodoo root worker, who thinks she is invisible, and a Navajo boy named Sani, who is the only one who really sees her, and what happens when they take a road trip and discover that their families were connected long before they were born. Publication of the first book is set for fall 2021; Rena Rossner at the Deborah Harris Agency did the deal for North American rights.

August 24th
How Maya Got Fierce by Sona Charaiporta (Imprint)
Erin Stein and Weslie Turner at Macmillan/Imprint have acquired world English rights to How Maya Got Fierce by Sona Charaipotra (Symptoms of a Heartbreak). Pitched as The Bold Type meets Younger, the YA contemporary novel follows a 17-year-old California farm girl who accidentally lands her dream job at a New York City women's magazine. One problem: They think she's 26. Publication is slated for spring 2021; Victoria Marini at the Irene Goodman Literary Agency negotiated the deal on behalf of CAKE Literary.